How to File for Unemployment in Montana
How to apply for unemployment in Montana, what you need, and what you must do each week to keep getting benefits.
Short answer: File or access your claim online at uiclaimant.mt.gov, or call Claims Processing at (406) 444-2545. Then request payment online for each week (Sunday through Saturday) in order, reporting all hours worked and gross earnings and your work search contacts. Montana UI Claimant Handbook (December 2025)
| How to apply | File or access your claim online at uiclaimant.mt.gov, or call Claims Processing at (406) 444-2545. Then request payment online for each week (Sunday through Saturday) in order, reporting all hours worked and gross earnings and your work search contacts. Keep filing while any eligibility issue or appeal is pending. A claim goes inactive after four weeks without a payment request but can be reactivated during the benefit year. |
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| Earnings needed to qualify | The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. If you do not qualify on the regular base period, an alternate base period is used. Eligibility depends on how much you earned and how the wages are spread across the base period. The handbook does not state the dollar amount of wages needed to qualify. |
| Work search requirements | Each week you request payment, you must submit at least one job application or resume (or attend a job interview) with an employer who is hiring and pays into unemployment insurance, for work you are qualified for and willing to accept. Checking listings or calling to ask if a business is hiring does not count, and you cannot apply to the same employer two weeks in a row unless it is a different position. Record the business, contact person, date, position, phone number or URL and result, and keep proof for three years; contacts are verified and audited. If you live outside Montana, register with your state's workforce agency. |
| Logging in and filing weekly claims | Montana unemployment claimants use the UI Claimant Dashboard, run by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry's Unemployment Insurance Division, to request weekly payments, reopen a claim, and file for a redetermination or appeal. Unemployment Insurance Division / Claims Processing Center: (406) 444-2545. Claimant Dashboard login: https://uiclaimant.mt.gov |
Where to get help in Montana
More Montana unemployment benefits
- Logging In to Your Montana Unemployment Claim
- Unemployment for Self-Employed and Gig Workers in Montana
- Unemployment After Being Fired in Montana
- Unemployment After Quitting in Montana
- How Much Unemployment Pays in Montana
- All Montana unemployment benefits rules
FAQ
How do I apply for unemployment in Montana?
File or access your claim online at uiclaimant.mt.gov, or call Claims Processing at (406) 444-2545. Then request payment online for each week (Sunday through Saturday) in order, reporting all hours worked and gross earnings and your work search contacts. Keep filing while any eligibility issue or appeal is pending. A claim goes inactive after four weeks without a payment request but can be reactivated during the benefit year.
How much do you need to have earned to get unemployment in Montana?
The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. If you do not qualify on the regular base period, an alternate base period is used. Eligibility depends on how much you earned and how the wages are spread across the base period.
What are the work search requirements for unemployment in Montana?
Each week you request payment, you must submit at least one job application or resume (or attend a job interview) with an employer who is hiring and pays into unemployment insurance, for work you are qualified for and willing to accept. Checking listings or calling to ask if a business is hiring does not count, and you cannot apply to the same employer two weeks in a row unless it is a different position. Record the business, contact person, date, position, phone number or URL and result, and keep proof for three years; contacts are verified and audited. If you live outside Montana, register with your state's workforce agency.
Where do I log in to my unemployment claim in Montana?
Montana unemployment claimants use the UI Claimant Dashboard, run by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry's Unemployment Insurance Division, to request weekly payments, reopen a claim, and file for a redetermination or appeal. Unemployment Insurance Division / Claims Processing Center: (406) 444-2545.
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.